New op-ed from our co-chairs: “March 3: Voters will decide on $15 billion for schools”

On Feb. 25, 2020, Capitol Weekly published an op-ed from Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine, co-chairs of the California Coalition for Public Higher Education, titled, “March 3: Voters will decide on $15 billion for schools.” Here’s an excerpt:

Proposition 13 is the strongest statewide school bond measure in California history, providing $15 billion to make educational facilities safe for students. It places a priority on fixing fire, earthquake and other life safety issues.

It just happens to have the same number as the tax-cutting measure because of the way the Secretary of State assigns numbers to ballot measures: The numbers are reset to the number 1 one every 10 years, and that leads to the number 13 appearing on the ballot again.

Adding to the potential confusion is another measure, headed for the November ballot that proposes to change the tax-cutting measure. But that is not what voters will be determining on the March 3 ballot.

Instead, the Proposition 13 on the March 3 ballot is a measure that won nearly unanimous support in the state Legislature and has continued to draw bipartisan support, including from our organization of California public higher education system alumni. The proposition also has the support of a broad-based coalition of business organizations, teachers, doctors, nurses, firefighters and military veterans.

Proposition 13 would provide $6 billion to California’s public higher education system, divided equally among the Community Colleges, University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems. It would be the first bond measure since 2006 to provide significant money for higher education infrastructure.

Proposition 13 would make another $9 billion available to repair dilapidated classrooms, remove mold and asbestos, replace unsafe drinking water systems, repair broken toilets and make the many other repairs needed to ensure the state’s pre-K-12 schools are safe.